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Ridgid's Quick Change Tubing Cutters

03-30-2006, 09:44 PM

I just bought a Model 120 tubing cutter with the "Quick-Change Cutting Wheel".
Yea, about a week later the pin and wheel were lost. The old retaining clip was a pain in the ***, but it held up. I think it was a good idea, but needs better quality manufacturing.

Can one of the Ridgid employees here tell me, I bought this at Home Depot, and don't want to deal with their four hour return system. Can I send this to Ridgid for a pin replacement. Preferably the old style.

Comment

First let me say I love most Ridgid tools. I own many of them. Threading machines to hand tools, I have a load of Ridgid stuff and it's always held up for me admirably and I continue to buy them. Except for one product now. The midget tube cutters.

To be blunt and short, I will never buy another Ridgid midget cutters. I am not trying to be facetious or rude, I just honestly think they're designed badly. Yesterday, on a job, I was in a hurry and trying to finish plumbing in a pex manifold for a water heater....I needed to make just a few quick cuts in a tight space and so I grabbed the midget cutters (the model that "self feeds" up to past 1") and for the UMPTEENTH BAZILLIONTH time yet again the stupid thing started corkscrewing on me, and would'nt stop no matter what I did to try and fix it....and the cutter wheel was just fine. I got SO infuriated I threw the POS clear across the construction site to become permanently part of the local landscape, and as far as I'm concerned, that's where it can STAY.

I know all about how they need to be oiled from time to time, or need a cutter wheel replaced. But this thing's wheel was'nt in bad shape, it did'nt even have a nick in it yet. And this must be the DOZENTH Ridgid mini-cutters that ended up doing this nonsense to me. I don't care....other brands, even the cheapo chinese made junk you find here and there, for half the price, DON'T END UP DOING THAT!! I'm through. Honestly, I'm done. When I need a new mini-cutters, it's going to be a Rothberger or other make, until Ridgid can figure out how to make a reliable mini-cutters that does'nt end up falling apart or starting that infuriating corkscrewing action. The things just should'nt be doing that.

PS; I had the same problem repeatedly with the pin and wheel falling out on others as well as this one, and I also just gotta love the way the tightening wheel becomes practically impossible to turn when the cutters have rusted up just a tad, and then when they are really used alot the screw spindle that opens/retracts the cutters by the knob becomes disconnescted on some and just screws right out of the cutters (this has happened on other cutters in the past even including the larger cutters which usually do work fine except for that occasional problem).

Is this a design flaw? Please don't tell me I should have maintained it in some form or fashion better or differently....this is supposed to be a heavy duty tubing tool, not some kid's toy that needs constant babying. I own several pair of the larger Ridgid tube cutters, like the model 151 and 152 all the way up to the 154 and the big 4-S....none of them have ever done this and they are all years old and still working like the day they were bought. So that leads me to believe there IS a design flaw in these midget cutters like the 104 and 101 aqnd the newer "self feed" gadget.